Walleye Capital LLC Takes Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 27,866 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $764,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 40.9% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,048,344 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $151,813,000 after acquiring an additional 1,756,530 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 30.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,158,224 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $104,371,000 after purchasing an additional 977,487 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $24,372,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 8.1% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,491,990 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $188,049,000 after buying an additional 563,424 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 36.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,745,980 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $43,824,000 after buying an additional 467,465 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MDU shares. Bank of America upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

NYSE:MDU remained flat at $19.47 on Friday. 1,331,668 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,115,679. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a 50 day moving average of $23.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $969.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. MDU Resources Group's revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.67%.

MDU Resources Group Profile

MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations.